Civic body chief
shot at

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Ranchi, May 6: Hussainabad municipal body chairperson was shot at in Palamau last night, a week after the Haidernagar (East) mukhiya was gunned down in Daltonganj on April 29.

Rameshwar Ram was sitting at the lawn of his house in Hussainabad around 10pm when three youths came looking for him and fired one shot. He has been admitted to RIMS in Ranchi, where his condition is stated to be improving steadily.

According to sources, Ram was sitting alone when the three youths came on a bike, enquiring about “Rameshwar uncle’s house”. When Ram said that they had reached the right place, one of them entered the house.

Ram asked him what was the matter. At this, the youth pulled out a pistol and fire at him.

Ram, who had already sensed the danger and was trying to run inside, took a bullet in his abdomen.

“Had he remained seated, the bullet would have hit him in the chest. Before, the family members or neighbours could realise anything, the youth fled with his friends,” said Hussainabad SDPO Nasirullah Khan.

He added that the police had begun probe. “I spoke to him over telephone in the morning. He is out of danger now. Some vital leads may emerge once he speaks to police,” the SDPO said.

Ruling out the involvement of rebels, Khan said disputes over civic contracts could have led to the attack.

“It is too early to say anything concrete,” he added.

Today, local markets wore a deserted look with agitated residents observing a bandh seeking immediate arrest of the culprits.

The police are yet to make any breakthrough in the April 29 killing of Haidernagar (East) mukhiya Dilip Kumar near Daltonganj railway station.

Haidernagar panchayat samiti head Santosh Kumar Singh and 11 others figure as named accused in the murder case, which appeared to be fallout of a land-related dispute.

When asked, superintendent of police, Palamau, Y.S. Ramesh said it was too early to link the two incidents. “We are probing both cases from different angles,” he added.